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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rock — a stone
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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