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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a line of people
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. file — a document
  11. charge — a price
  12. firm — steady
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. charge — in control
  21. firm — decided
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. firm — a company
  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