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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — after costs
  3. present — there
  4. mate — a partner
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. present — the time now
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. present — a gift
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — to go on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mate — a friend
  20. net — in sport
  21. last — final
  22. face — to point toward
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stem — a stem cell

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