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

Word bank: dip · foot · face · chest · rule · pitch · land · racket

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rule — government
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. face — to confront
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rule — a law
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rule — to rule out

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