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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
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: press · tube · deal · mate · pitch · clip · spell · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — to push
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — for paper
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mate — to breed
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitch — a sports field

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