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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — not warm
  3. present — the time now
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a friend
  7. last — to go on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — for catching
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. face — to confront
  12. net — after costs
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — an illness
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. can — a tin
  18. swing — music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mate — a partner
  22. can — a tin
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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