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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. track — a path
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pit — in a race
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. file — a document

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