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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: pitch · lie · face · bark · season · rock · track · lean

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — a song
  5. lie — to recline
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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