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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — after costs
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — there
  18. dip — to sink
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — for catching
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. coach — a trainer

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