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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — the season
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — the animal
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. present — there
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fork — in a road

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