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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. plane — a tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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