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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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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: craft · pitch · cabinet · mate · clip · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. craft — boats
  18. clip — a video

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