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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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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: mark · cell · clip · nail · bay · track · pitch · rock

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. clip — a video
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — a path
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — a song
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rock — music
  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