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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: lie · pitch · trunk · wave · game · can · last · file

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. game — a match
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — to recline
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. trunk — of a tree

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