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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. face — part of the head
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — a series
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — a container
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — hasty
  22. court — of a king
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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