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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. object — an aim
  24. file — a tool

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