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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · clip · date · leaves · pitch · pitcher · fall · nail

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. date — the fruit
  16. clip — a video
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. leaves — lets stay

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