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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: pass · ruler · face · scale · last · mine · wind · pitch

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. scale — size or range
  12. last — finally
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — final
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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