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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: last · firm · pitch · face · saw · mate · tube · fork

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. face — to confront
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fork — in a road
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — steady
  17. mate — a friend
  18. firm — a company
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. face — to point toward

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