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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — a break
  19. cap — a lid
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. firm — decided
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — to point toward

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