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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cap — of ice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kick — in football
  7. can — to be able to
  8. face — part of the head
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to confront
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kick — a thrill

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