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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: pop · clip · fork · tear · ball · fall · rock · pitch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pop — to visit
  3. clip — a video
  4. pop — soda
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — in a road
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rock — music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pop — music
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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