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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — part of the head
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — to confront
  21. fork — in a road
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — a place of worship

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