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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. present — the time now
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — in music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. face — to confront

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