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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: press · drill · pitch · lash · pound · face · root · calf

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pound — a weight
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. root — of a plant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitch — completely
  15. press — newspapers
  16. root — of a word
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — the cause
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to confront
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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