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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. capital — money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — the fish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lie — to recline
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to point toward
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mine — for digging
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a city
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lash — an eyelash

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