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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — shares
  11. kid — to tease
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stock — goods
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. kid — child
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — to point toward

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