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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: pop · date · firm · pitch · spring · pitcher · chair · face

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pop — soda
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. firm — steady
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. firm — a company
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spring — of water
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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