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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · face · pound · land · lean · pitch · net · bass

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. land — a country
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mate — to breed
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. land — ground
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — to come down
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mate — a partner
  22. face — to confront
  23. net — for catching
  24. mate — a friend

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