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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — crushed
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — a position
  13. face — to confront
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — after costs
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — to play on

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