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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: hide · clip · band · stick · mate · pitch · current · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. current — electric
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a music group
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — happening now
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — for paper
  17. current — of water
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. clip — a video
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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