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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 120 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: can · face · rush · file · mine · pitch · saw · pit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — a tin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a document
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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