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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 · pitch · face · spring · nail · toast · stand · wind

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitch — completely
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pop — music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. toast — bread
  20. stand — to bear
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pop — soda

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