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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.

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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: sharp · pitch · capital · wind · dip · spell · bulb · clip

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. dip — to sink
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — letters
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. clip — a video
  16. capital — money
  17. pitch — completely
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — exactly

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