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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — after costs
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. face — to confront
  5. mark — a trace
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mark — a grade
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. bank — of a river

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