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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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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: patient · wind · clip · drill · face · pitch · suit · bass

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. suit — to fit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bass — low music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — part of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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