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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: face · cold · scale · drill · mug · stand · pitch · bear

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mug — to rob
  9. scale — in music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. face — to confront
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — a cup
  17. face — to point toward
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — size or range

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