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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: bulb · bound · pitch · fall · field · ground · chip · clip

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. clip — for paper

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