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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · racket · net · face · mug · sharp · lie · court

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. court — of law
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — completely
  8. face — to point toward
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — a cup
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mug — to rob
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — for sport
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — a sports field

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