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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 · pitcher · wave · staff · land · cap · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — a stick
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. staff — employees
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. land — a country
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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