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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: pitch · sharp · fan · date · bank · race · row · clip

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bank — for money
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — for paper
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — humankind
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. clip — to cut
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. date — the fruit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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