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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: hand · tube · drill · firm · clip · fan · cell · pitch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cell — a phone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. firm — steady
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cell — in biology
  15. firm — a company
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — a practice

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