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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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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: swing · pitch · mate · face · rush · fine · bat · snap

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fine — all right
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rush — to hurry

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