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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — tied together
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — obliged
  13. face — part of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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