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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: mouse · bore · cell · pitch · fine · squash · staff · clip

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cell — a phone
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. clip — a video
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in biology
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fine — high quality

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