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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: charge · hand · clip · bay · pitcher · pitch · nail · degree

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hand — help
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. clip — for paper
  8. charge — electricity
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — a price
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — in control
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitcher — a jug

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