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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: pitch · land · ruler · rash · nail · hand · clip · pitcher

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — a series
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — to come down
  9. clip — a video
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — completely
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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