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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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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: cell · cold · row · mark · pitch · pass · face · cue

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — a grade
  4. row — a line
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cold — an illness
  13. face — to confront
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — part of the head

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