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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: face · race · dip · suit · straw · pitch · band · wind

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. suit — in cards
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. suit — to fit
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. race — a contest
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — to confront
  23. race — the arms race
  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