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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — thin
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — for catching
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — after costs
  9. lean — to bend
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. face — part of the head
  16. foot — a measure
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — a short time
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. face — to confront
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — magic

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