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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — after costs
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. firm — steady
  10. clip — for paper
  11. net — in sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lie — to recline
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — in music
  19. firm — decided
  20. track — a path
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a song
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — a video

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