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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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