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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. swing — in golf
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. face — to point toward
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — to confront
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fine — all right
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. swing — music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. can — a tin

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