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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: snap · file · pitch · fork · spring · mark · saw · object

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. object — an aim
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — a thing
  9. spring — the season
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — to protest
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. file — a document
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mark — a grade
  22. file — a line of people
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — 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