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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: wake · cold · bowl · can · pitcher · saw · face · pitch

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. can — to be able to
  9. face — to confront
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — to point toward

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