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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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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: pit · clip · suit · pitch · nail · bay · chest · wind

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chest — a box
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — completely
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. clip — a video
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chest — of your body
  21. suit — clothes
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. suit — in cards
  24. nail — for a hammer

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