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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fine — all right
  7. face — to confront
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chest — of your body

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