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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — final
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. present — there
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. present — a gift
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mine — for digging
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. face — to confront
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — completely

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