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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: trunk · spell · face · march · fan · pitch · bulb · kid

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — a short time
  17. face — to confront
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. march — the month

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