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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — high quality
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rule — government
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fine — all right
  12. cap — of ice
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. march — music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — the month
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  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