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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — after costs
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — to confront
  11. spell — magic
  12. fork — in a road
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — for catching
  24. squash — to crush

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