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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. face — to confront
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kid — child
  9. deal — to handle
  10. squash — to crush
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — size or range
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. scale — for weighing
  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