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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mark — a grade
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — of water
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — a song
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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