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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. face — to confront
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — in sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. band — a music group
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mark — a trace
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. band — a ring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — after costs
  20. scale — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — all right

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