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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: pitch · drill · nail · clip · mark · toast · trunk · chest

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mark — a grade
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — army training
  13. mark — a trace
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — for paper
  18. drill — a practice
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — bread
  24. nail — on a finger

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