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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: staff · scale · face · foot · pitch · fall · content · chest

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitch — completely
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — size or range
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. content — happy
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. staff — a stick

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