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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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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: deal · fan · lean · pitch · face · season · mouse · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — in sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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