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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cold — an illness
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fall — to drop
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. key — in music
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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