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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 116 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — completely
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to confront
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — to wash
  24. dip — to sink

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