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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: last · snap · bass · file · row · pitch · chair · wound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. row — a line
  18. file — a document
  19. bass — low music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. last — final
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bass — the fish

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