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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — an illness
  5. march — music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — to get on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. board — a committee
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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