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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: file · pitch · stick · hand · rash · snap · chip · rock

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chip — to eat
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rash — a series
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rock — a stone

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