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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: pitcher · cue · staff · clip · stick · bank · cap · net

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — a video
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a hint
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a signal

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