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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: clip · calf · tube · mug · march · pitch · ball · row

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. clip — for paper
  3. march — music
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitch — completely
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tube — a container
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a face
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — a video
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ball — a dance
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a line
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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