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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. bass — the fish
  4. face — to confront
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bass — low music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fall — the season
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — part of the head
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. face — to point toward
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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