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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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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: suit · bear · snap · pitch · charge · clip · chip · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. clip — to cut
  3. court — for sport
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitch — completely
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. charge — a price
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. clip — for paper
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chip — for betting
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. snap — to click

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