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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. swing — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. capital — money
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — to confront
  24. stand — on your feet

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