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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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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 · pass · trunk · race · cold · wind · mug

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. race — a contest
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — not warm

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