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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · face · pitch · bass · pitcher · pit · straw · racket

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. bass — the fish

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