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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — a match
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — farmland
  20. face — to confront
  21. field — for sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — part of the head

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