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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a match
  6. face — to confront
  7. last — finally
  8. press — to push
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. face — part of the head
  16. press — a publisher
  17. net — after costs
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spell — letters
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — to go on
  24. object — an aim

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