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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. deal — to handle
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. face — to confront
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — a break
  24. deal — an agreement

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