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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 120 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
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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: pitcher · spring · stand · drill · ball · cue · chest · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — a hint
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — for pool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spring — of water

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