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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: snap · file · pitch · court · key · clip · fan · deal

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — in music
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. file — a tool
  11. court — of law
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — a video
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — of a king
  24. deal — to handle

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