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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. capital — money
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. file — a line of people
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — a city
  10. file — a document
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rash — a series
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. row — a line
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hand — help
  20. pitch — completely
  21. file — a tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. dip — a sauce
  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