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

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mate — to breed
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a friend
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to confront
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. root — of a word

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