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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bear — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — newspapers
  12. club — a group
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — a grade
  24. face — part of the head

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