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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a document
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. field — a subject
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — completely
  23. snap — to click
  24. roll — a cake

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