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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: ground · march · face · toast · bulb · pitcher · pop · hide

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — bread
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pop — music
  12. march — the month
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — to confront
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bulb — for light

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