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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: bat · mark · foot · wake · lie · pitch · face · file

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mark — a trace
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. file — a tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lie — an untruth

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