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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: deal · suit · pitch · fork · wind · pitcher · hand · face

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. suit — in cards
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. suit — clothes
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — to confront
  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