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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a committee
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — to get on
  21. pit — a hole
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pit — in a race

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