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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: club · swing · wind · foot · face · stock · drill · pitch

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — goods
  5. club — for golf
  6. drill — a practice
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. club — for dancing
  16. swing — music
  17. club — a group
  18. drill — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — to confront
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stock — shares
  24. foot — the bottom

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