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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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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: pitch · deal · face · bat · present · rule · file · dip

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. present — there
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rule — government
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — a gift
  22. bat — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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