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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 120 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: nail · pitch · cabinet · face · pass · vault · wind · court

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of law
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — to confront
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pass — a permit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — for sport
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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