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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a document
  5. spell — magic
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a tool

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