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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: wind · pitch · bark · rush · pass · rule · chair · face

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rule — a law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rule — government
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chair — a professorship

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