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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. file — a document
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pitch — completely
  13. lie — to recline
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pound — a weight

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