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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 120 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: fall · pass · pitch · hide · face · hand · capital · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — money
  7. face — part of the head
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a city
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — the season
  22. face — to confront
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hide — to keep secret

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