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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.

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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: last · march · nail · fall · pitch · mate · charge · face

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. charge — a price
  11. march — music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. last — final
  14. face — part of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — to confront
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. face — to point toward
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mate — a friend

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