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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rock — a stone
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mug — a face
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mug — to rob
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. date — the fruit

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