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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. file — a line of people
  3. net — for catching
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. file — a document
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — not warm
  16. net — after costs
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. swing — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cold — an illness

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