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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. net — for catching
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cap — a hat
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — in sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — of the year
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kid — child
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. board — a committee
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — a penalty
  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