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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: face · mate · game · jam · clip · foot · squash · pitch

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. clip — for paper
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. foot — a measure
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — a video
  9. game — a match
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mate — a partner
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. clip — to cut
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — the sport
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. squash — to crush

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