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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pit — in a race
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — of water
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. row — a line
  10. current — electric
  11. face — to point toward
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. net — for catching
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — happening now
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. pit — a hole

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