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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: pop · march · row · bat · mate · pitcher · face · pound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. march — music
  17. row — a line
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — the month
  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