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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pass — a permit
  10. last — final
  11. hand — in cards
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. last — to go on

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