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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — to recline
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. face — to point toward
  10. march — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — goods
  24. scale — in music

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