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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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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: pitch · shower · pop · mug · bulb · clip · cabinet · nail

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mug — a cup
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. clip — for paper
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mug — a face
  18. pop — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — to rob
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — soda

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