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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. net — in sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. spring — of water
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. net — for catching
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. spring — a coil
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fine — all right
  23. board — to get on
  24. dip — to sink

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