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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: bass · pitch · face · mouse · pass · patient · cold · suit

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bass — low music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. suit — to fit
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — the animal

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