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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: degree · file · pitch · clip · kid · track · pass · wax

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. file — a tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. degree — temperature
  24. file — a document

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