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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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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: face · mug · wind · toast · object · pitch · pound · field

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. toast — bread
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — to protest
  7. mug — to rob
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. face — to confront
  14. field — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — completely
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. face — to point toward
  21. object — an aim
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. field — a subject

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