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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: saw · clip · pitch · rule · rock · lean · date · hand

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rule — a law
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitch — completely
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — government
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rock — music

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