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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: kid · pitch · temple · face · mine · wind · pitcher · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — child
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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