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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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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: bank · kick · mark · spell · face · saw · stick · pitch

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spell — magic

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