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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: clip · mine · file · pitch · rock · pitcher · rush · content

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. content — happy
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — music
  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