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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — to protest
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. net — in sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. net — after costs
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — part of the head
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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