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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: bat · pitcher · pop · pitch · face · wind · rest · prune

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rest — a break
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — part of the head
  24. prune — to trim

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