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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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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 · wake · firm · lash · drill · mate · pitch · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. clip — to cut
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — to breed
  10. drill — army training
  11. clip — a video
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — a company
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — all right
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — a penalty

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