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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: clip · file · land · stand · pitch · bank · calf · rule

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitch — completely
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bank — of a river
  9. clip — a video
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — for money
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. land — ground
  16. file — a tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rule — a law
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a document
  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