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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. face — to confront
  7. race — humankind
  8. bat — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — government
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitch — completely
  18. race — a contest
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. land — a country
  23. face — part of the head
  24. land — ground

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