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

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — a match
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bank — for money
  24. mouse — the animal

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