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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 116 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: kid · face · net · shower · pound · season · pitch · last

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. season — in sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. kid — child
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pound — a weight
  9. kid — to tease
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — to point toward
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — final
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to confront

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