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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a tool
  6. bat — the animal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. firm — a company
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — steady
  11. file — a document
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. firm — decided
  20. spell — letters
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fan — a supporter

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