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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: scale · pitch · sharp · face · saw · firm · fine · field

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — for sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. firm — decided
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. firm — steady
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — high quality
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitch — completely
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. firm — a company
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — in music

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