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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 116 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: pitch · mine · calf · straw · face · bank · land · deal

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. land — ground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — completely
  10. land — to come down
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. land — a country
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. deal — to handle

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