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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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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: season · clip · band · mug · dip · lie · bound · pitch

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitch — completely
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a music group
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bound — tied together
  21. season — in sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a ring

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