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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · arm · drill · key · clip · pitcher · chip · mouse

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. key — the most important part
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. drill — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — in music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — army training

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