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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · game · staff · mine · last · clip · stand · sharp

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — a video
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stand — to bear
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a match
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. last — to go on
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. last — finally
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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