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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — to confront
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — there
  14. pitch — completely
  15. face — part of the head
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. cold — not warm

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