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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — after costs
  4. plane — a tool
  5. face — to confront
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — electricity
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. march — the month
  12. net — in sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a match
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. charge — a price
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — music
  24. charge — in control

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