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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: chair · lean · wave · pitcher · face · field · pitch · bowl

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lean — thin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — a leader
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bowl — a football final

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