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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — for paper
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — completely
  12. charge — a price
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. face — part of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rule — government
  22. pound — a weight
  23. clip — a video
  24. prune — to trim

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