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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitch — completely
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — the underground
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — after costs
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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