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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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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: plane · cell · cue · dip · clip · wind · fine · pitch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — completely
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — all right
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fine — high quality
  24. dip — to sink

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