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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: mark · wound · bulb · pitch · file · cold · straw · present

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — there
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a line of people
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. file — a tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — to pay attention

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