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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to confront
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rule — government
  16. face — to point toward
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rule — a law

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