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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: season · pitcher · stand · mark · pitch · face · shower · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — to confront
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stand — to bear
  15. season — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitch — completely

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