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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: sharp · chair · wound · file · pitch · hide · toast · bowl

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — bread
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a document

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