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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.

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: wind · pitch · mark · jam · face · spring · fan · pound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to confront
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fan — to cool the air

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