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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 124 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. file — a tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. track — a path
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. file — a document
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. track — a song
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to click

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