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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. face — to confront
  3. firm — a company
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — in sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mate — to breed
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. staff — employees
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a partner
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — with a leg

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