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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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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: mine · chest · face · pound · pitch · game · toast · wave

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. toast — bread
  17. game — a match
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mine — belonging to me

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