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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 116 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: scale · pitch · pitcher · clip · rush · straw · staff · pass

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — for paper
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — a video
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to spend time

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