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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: rush · last · bark · hand · pitch · stick · face · pass

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — final
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — to confront
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hand — help
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pass — a permit
  24. face — part of the head

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