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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 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hand — in cards
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. plane — a tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to point toward
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — completely
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. last — to go on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — finally

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