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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. object — a thing
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. shower — rain
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. face — to confront
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. object — to protest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — for sport

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