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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — after costs
  3. suit — to fit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. suit — in cards
  14. net — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. content — happy
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. content — the amount

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