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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.

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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 · bass · fall · rush · chip · ball · clip · season

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — of the year
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bass — low music

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