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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — for catching
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. drill — the tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — army training
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to confront
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — to drop

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