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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · pitch · clip · stand · bore · lean · chair · kick

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lean — to bend
  3. capital — money
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chair — a leader
  18. capital — a city
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com