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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: cell · clip · stick · rash · cap · pitch · march · craft

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cell — a phone
  7. march — music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a hat
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cell — in a prison

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