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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: pitcher · file · firm · pop · clip · toast · nail · key

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — steady
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — for a lock
  16. file — a document
  17. firm — decided
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. key — in music
  22. clip — to cut
  23. toast — bread
  24. firm — a company

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