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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — part of the head
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — of the year
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. chest — of your body

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