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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. face — to confront
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — bread
  20. net — in sport
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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