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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: vault · face · coach · fine · wind · content · pitch · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — happy
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitch — completely
  18. face — to confront
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. coach — a trainer

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