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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: foot · club · clip · pitch · kid · bay · patient · perch

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. club — a group
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. club — for golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. kid — child
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — for a bird

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