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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. present — a gift
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — in sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — army training
  8. chest — of your body
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. present — there
  14. face — to confront
  15. net — after costs
  16. chest — a box
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — for catching
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — the animal

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