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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. dip — to sink
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. race — humankind
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — to confront
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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