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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. season — of the year
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hand — help
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — to confront
  23. file — a line of people
  24. season — to add flavour

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