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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · mark · suit · leaves · row · pitch · cold · rock

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a line of people
  5. suit — to fit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a document
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — completely
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. row — a line
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. suit — clothes
  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