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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. squash — the sport
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — after costs
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — for catching
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — crushed
  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