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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. object — an aim
  6. face — to confront
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. present — there
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — a gift
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — the time now
  21. object — a thing
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — part of the head

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