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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — soda
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. track — a song
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pop — music
  24. net — after costs

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