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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cue — a hint
  3. track — a path
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — letters
  8. cue — a signal
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spell — a short time
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — completely
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. track — a song
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pit — a hole

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