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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: bowl · face · pitch · mate · prune · pit · foot · bore

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — to drill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — to confront
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pit — a hole
  24. foot — a measure

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