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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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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: hand · file · lie · firm · date · pitch · game · straw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. firm — decided
  4. game — wild animals
  5. firm — steady
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. firm — a company
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a document
  16. game — a match
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. file — a tool

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