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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. file — a document
  14. face — part of the head
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to confront
  20. file — a tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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