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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fine — all right
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — farmland
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — high quality
  17. net — in sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — a leader
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. snap — to click

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