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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. court — of law
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. pitch — completely
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. board — to get on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. sharp — exactly

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