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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. file — a document
  3. tube — the underground
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. tube — a container
  8. face — to point toward
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a tool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — in sport
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. face — to confront
  24. tube — in a tire

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