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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — after costs
  3. ground — the earth
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — a position
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. ground — crushed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — clever
  13. face — part of the head
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. net — in sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of law
  24. temple — a place of worship

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