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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to click
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — thin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. net — in sport
  17. pit — a hole
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ball — a great time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — money

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