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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · last · face · spell · bay · season · fine · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — completely
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — finally
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. season — of the year
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spell — magic
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fine — all right
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. spell — letters

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