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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 116 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: last · rock · wind · bound · clip · pass · pitch · racket

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. rock — a stone
  3. clip — a video
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — finally
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. last — final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — obliged
  16. last — to go on
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitch — completely
  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