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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pound — a weight
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a dance
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

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