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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: land · cue · stick · clip · sharp · can · pitch · scale

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. scale — in music
  19. cue — a signal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cue — a hint
  23. clip — a video
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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