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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitch — completely
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — an illness
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — music
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ball — a great time

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