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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
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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: shower · pop · straw · pitch · face · saw · drill · bay

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — a practice
  7. face — part of the head
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — to point toward
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. drill — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pop — soda

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