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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 116 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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — to recline
  8. march — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — to point toward

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