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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: cue · track · pitcher · fine · clip · game · march · drill

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fine — all right
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. march — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — a signal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. track — a path
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a hint
  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