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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: land · pitch · face · rush · swing · can · tear · chair

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. face — to confront
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. face — part of the head
  11. can — to be able to
  12. land — ground
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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