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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · track · pitch · clip · cabinet · patient · wake · squash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — for paper
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — to crush
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. clip — to cut
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. track — to keep track

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