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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lean — thin
  9. net — for catching
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lean — to bend
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — a sports field

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