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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitch — completely
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — a partner
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. court — of law
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. land — a country
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a friend
  24. land — to come down

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