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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. craft — boats
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. craft — a skill
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — in an idiom

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