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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: face · rest · ground · snap · last · firm · pitch · season

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitch — completely
  8. firm — decided
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — final
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — in sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. season — of the year
  20. last — finally
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. face — to point toward
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — a position

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