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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: last · deal · pitch · bulb · court · roll · wax · face

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. roll — a cake
  4. last — finally
  5. roll — a list
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — to handle
  8. last — final
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. last — to go on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — to confront
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — of law

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