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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — to confront
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pop — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pop — to visit
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. nail — for a hammer

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