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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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