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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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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: fan · court · clip · bound · wake · squash · scale · pitch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — certain
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — obliged
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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