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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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