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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 116 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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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: firm · wave · band · chip · cap · face · pitch · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. face — to confront
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — part of the head
  9. firm — steady
  10. pitch — completely
  11. band — a music group
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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