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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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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: clip · face · tear · chip · pitch · leaves · field · deal

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. clip — a video
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. field — farmland
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tear — to rip
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — to confront
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. field — for sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chip — to eat
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — an agreement

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