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

Word bank: present · court · cabinet · lie · sharp · cell · tear · pitch

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. court — for sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lie — to recline
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — there
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. pitch — completely
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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