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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 116 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 · clip · shower · can · pass · season · kid · chip

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kid — to tease
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — for betting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pass — a permit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. clip — a video
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kid — child
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — to eat

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