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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · deal · file · plane · chair · cell

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a line of people
  18. plane — a tool

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