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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitch — completely
  4. last — final
  5. charge — electricity
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rash — hasty
  8. roll — a list
  9. face — to confront
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — a series
  15. kid — to tease
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — child
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. charge — a price
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. last — to go on
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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