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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitch · clip · date · season · chair · vault · trunk

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. land — ground
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chair — a leader
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — a country
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. date — the fruit
  22. season — of the year
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitch — a sports field

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