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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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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: face · kick · pitcher · sharp · fall · ground · bear · wake

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. face — to confront
  24. ground — a position

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