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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — to confront
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mug — a face
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wake — a trail
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wake — before a funeral

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