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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. face — to confront
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. scale — in music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — to point toward
  10. last — to go on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. last — finally
  13. staff — a stick
  14. face — part of the head
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. last — final
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mug — a cup
  24. staff — employees

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