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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bat — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. face — to confront
  14. file — a document
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. scale — in music

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