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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: date · hide · court · kick · firm · pitch · clip · club

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. court — of law
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. club — a group
  15. clip — to cut
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — for sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. firm — steady
  23. court — of a king
  24. date — the fruit

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