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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — to point toward
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — a tin
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. can — to be able to
  24. leaves — lets stay

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