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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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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: season · pitch · wind · fork · current · rush · face · tear

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — happening now
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — completely
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. current — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — of the year

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