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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.

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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: kid · clip · pitch · current · bound · rest · race · deal

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — for paper
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. race — a contest
  11. clip — a video
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — of water
  16. rest — a break
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kid — child
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — electric
  23. kid — to tease
  24. clip — to cut

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