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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: fine · land · saw · season · bass · face · court · pitch

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — of a king
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. face — to confront
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — to come down
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. season — in sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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