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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pop — soda
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to confront
  23. foot — a measure
  24. face — to point toward

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