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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. suit — to fit
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. suit — clothes
  8. perch — the fish
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a line of people
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. suit — in cards
  16. band — a ring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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