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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — there
  5. net — for catching
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fine — all right
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — to rip

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