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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — for digging
  22. face — part of the head
  23. net — after costs
  24. mate — a friend

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