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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — part of the head
  4. can — a tin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — to point toward
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — for catching
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. can — a tin
  18. rest — a break
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. can — to be able to
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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