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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 · rash · face · field · rush · wake · ball · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — a series
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ball — a great time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — farmland
  23. rush — hurry
  24. ball — a round shape

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