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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 116 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 · file · hand · firm · current · rush · tube · craft

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. firm — decided
  13. craft — boats
  14. pitch — completely
  15. file — a tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — a container
  24. firm — a company

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