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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pitch — completely
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — clothes
  8. field — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — soda
  14. file — a tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. staff — a stick

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