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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. band — a music group
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rule — government
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cell — in biology
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a ring

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