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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. face — part of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. staff — a stick

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