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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — completely
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — a group
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. net — in sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — part of the head
  24. club — for golf

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