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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 124 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. march — the month
  3. mug — to rob
  4. net — after costs
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — music
  7. mug — a face
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — for catching
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — size or range
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. band — a ring
  24. foot — a measure

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