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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. field — a subject
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — in music
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — for a lock
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. face — to confront

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