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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: bear · drill · clip · suit · tube · staff · rash · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. staff — a stick
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — a series
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitch — completely
  24. drill — the tool

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