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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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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: pitcher · season · arm · pass · face · snap · sharp · court

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — of law
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — of a king
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — a permit
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — of the year

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