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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pop — soda
  4. race — humankind
  5. pop — to visit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to point toward
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — a contest
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — the arms race
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pop — music
  24. face — to confront

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