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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 120 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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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: nail · pitch · swing · race · bound · clip · wave · staff

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — a contest
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bound — tied together
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — humankind
  24. staff — a stick

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