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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — ground
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — to confront
  8. chest — a box
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — a country
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitch — a sports field

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