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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. file — a tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lean — thin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a document
  14. cap — a lid
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ruler — for measuring

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