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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. roll — a cake
  7. race — humankind
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — the arms race
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. race — a contest
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. net — for catching
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a list

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