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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. file — a tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. trunk — of a car

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