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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — a break
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. board — a committee
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. dip — to sink
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. board — a flat piece

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