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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 120 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: clip · pitcher · row · bay · spell · rock · pitch · rash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — a video
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. row — a line
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spell — letters
  20. rock — music
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — magic
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. row — a quarrel

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