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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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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: fan · ball · roll · row · press · wake · pitch · clip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. clip — a video
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ball — a great time
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — a cake
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — a publisher
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — to push
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fan — to cool the air

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