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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
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 · saw · present · pitcher · kid · file · key · tube

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a line of people
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — a gift
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — the time now
  15. file — a document
  16. saw — the tool
  17. key — in music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. present — there
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — child

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