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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: club · cabinet · face · ground · staff · pitch · tube · wind

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitch — completely
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — a position
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — for golf
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — a group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitch — a sports field

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