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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — a song
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. track — a path
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — ground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — to sink
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fall — the season
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — to come down

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