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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: cue · fall · rush · shower · pitch · face · spring · jam

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — the season
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fall — the season
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spring — a coil
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. spring — of water
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — rain
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — for pool

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