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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: saw · shower · calf · pop · face · game · pitch · lean

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — completely
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lean — thin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — rain
  16. game — a match
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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