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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: face · fork · wave · degree · lash · mug · pitch · sharp

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mug — a cup
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mug — a face
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. degree — from a university

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