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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — final
  13. chest — a box
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — finally
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. firm — steady
  20. chest — of your body
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — to go on

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