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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. net — in sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spell — a short time
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a document
  20. net — after costs
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — for catching
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. face — to confront

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