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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — in sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — for catching
  5. rash — a series
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. face — part of the head
  22. sharp — clever
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitch — a sports field

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