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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitch — completely
  19. face — to confront
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — a safe
  22. season — of the year
  23. cap — of ice
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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