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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. face — part of the head
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. court — of law
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — to point toward
  17. court — of a king
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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