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

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. firm — steady
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — part of the head
  5. firm — decided
  6. game — a match
  7. last — to go on
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a list
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. can — a tin
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. net — for catching
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. can — a tin
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — in sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wax — to grow
  23. firm — a company
  24. wax — for sculpting

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