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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · drill · pitch · pass · rule · saw · wake

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rule — government
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to point toward
  11. drill — the tool
  12. face — to confront
  13. rule — a law
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — a trail
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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