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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · row · cap · date · file · pass · spell · roll

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. file — a tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. row — a line
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spell — letters
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. file — a line of people
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. roll — a list
  16. file — a document
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — a lid
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — the fruit

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