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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — part of the head
  6. track — a path
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fall — the season
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitch — completely
  15. face — to confront
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — of the year
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitch — a sports field

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