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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. roll — a list
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — child
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. roll — a cake
  12. season — in sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitch — a sports field

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