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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to confront
  7. pop — to visit
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — soda
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. present — there
  12. pitch — completely
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. present — a gift
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — moving air

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