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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. scale — size or range
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — to confront
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. kick — in football
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — humankind
  12. bass — low music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. press — a publisher
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — in music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. face — part of the head
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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