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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 120 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
468
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: sharp · clip · branch · lash · pitch · pitcher · pit · hide

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — a video
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pit — a hole

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