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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.

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 · wave · pass · pitch · court · ball · rush · bay

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ball — a dance
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — of a king
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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