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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 116 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: snap · mark · mouse · rock · shower · pitch · clip · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — a match
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — to wash
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — rain
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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