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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: pop · stand · ground · rash · vault · march · pitcher · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — hasty
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ground — a position
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — the earth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pop — soda
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ground — crushed

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