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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tube — the underground
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — to eat
  14. tube — a container
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chair — a leader

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