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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.

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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 · dip · nail · clip · bound · wax · ball · race

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bound — obliged
  3. dip — to sink
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitch — completely
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — tied together
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ball — a great time
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — certain
  24. race — the arms race

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