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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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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: pitch · last · wind · firm · roll · court · face · nail

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wind — moving air
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. firm — a company
  5. last — finally
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. court — of a king
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. last — final
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — to go on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. court — of law
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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