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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: net · degree · pitch · foot · face · wind · cabinet · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. firm — a company
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — an amount
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitch — completely
  21. firm — decided
  22. face — to confront
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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