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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. face — to point toward
  3. march — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — a break
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — completely
  21. face — to confront
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — the month

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