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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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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: bulb · pitcher · stand · lie · face · squash · kick · foot

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. face — to confront
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stand — to bear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lie — to recline
  24. foot — a measure

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