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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: current · bat · firm · roll · nail · branch · clip · pitch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — happening now
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. roll — a list
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — of water
  14. firm — a company
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitch — completely
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bat — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. clip — a video

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