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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.

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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: chip · suit · pitch · rush · cold · clip · bound · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — a video
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chip — for betting
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chip — in a computer

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