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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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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: fall · pitch · chair · perch · squash · lash · face · racket

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to confront
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. squash — to crush
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — the sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — the vegetable

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