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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.

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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 · wind · deal · lash · cap · leaves · staff · pitch

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cap — a hat
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. clip — a video
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. leaves — to go away

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