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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. file — a line of people
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. file — a document
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitch — completely
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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