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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: plane · snap · patient · face · pitch · pop · fine · cue

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. face — to confront
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fine — all right
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — high quality
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — soda
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cue — for pool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. face — to point toward
  24. plane — in geometry

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