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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: face · pop · pound · wave · game · pitch · cell · kid

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pop — music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pop — to visit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kid — to tease

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