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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: pitch · rush · face · date · straw · craft · cabinet · lie

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. craft — boats
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — the fruit
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. face — to confront
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rush — a thrill

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