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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · court · pop · lash · pitch · mate · mine · suit

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. clip — for paper
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pop — soda
  9. court — of law
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pop — music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — for sport
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — for digging

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