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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. swing — in golf
  5. kick — in football
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. capital — money
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. swing — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to point toward
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — a friend

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