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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cap — a lid
  23. staff — a stick
  24. net — for catching

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