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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 120 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: game · face · snap · deal · plane · mine · press · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. press — to push
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to click
  20. deal — to handle
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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