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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. plane — a tool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — to confront
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to point toward

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