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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. current — happening now
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mug — a cup
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rash — a series
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. current — of water
  21. net — after costs
  22. cold — an illness
  23. net — in sport
  24. rash — hasty

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