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

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. club — for dancing
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. club — for golf
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pass — a permit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — a group
  23. clip — a video
  24. wind — to turn a key

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