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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. file — a document
  4. fork — in a road
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — in a race
  18. file — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. roll — a list
  24. mate — to breed

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