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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · kid · nail · clip · mug · file · coach · hide

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a face
  9. clip — a video
  10. kid — to tease
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. file — a tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a document

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