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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: bay · wound · swing · face · snap · arm · bass · pitch

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wound — an injury

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