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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a trace
  7. face — to point toward
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. craft — a skill
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — after costs
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. craft — boats
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a handicraft

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