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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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 — after costs
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — an injury
  10. object — an aim
  11. field — a subject
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. object — a thing
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. foot — a measure
  19. object — to protest
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — for catching
  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