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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mug — a face
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — a subject
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. field — for sport

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