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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — to confront
  7. current — happening now
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — to recline
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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