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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: bear · pitch · pound · roll · craft · board · clip · bass

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — a list
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — completely
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. craft — boats
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — to cut
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. board — a committee
  24. clip — a video

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