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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cell — in biology
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — a phone
  11. net — after costs
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. court — of a king
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. court — for sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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