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

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. land — to come down
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lie — to recline
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — ground
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — an untruth

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