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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — to confront
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — a hole
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fall — the season
  24. bass — low music

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