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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: pitch · face · band · plane · press · pitcher · saw · fan

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — newspapers
  3. plane — a tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — a publisher
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a music group

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