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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. chest — a box
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. game — a match
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — help
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — a tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — a kind of play
  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