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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: racket · sharp · pitch · tear · face · march · can · fan

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. march — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitch — completely
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — for tennis

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