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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · can · tear · face · sharp · chair

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — to confront
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — after costs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. net — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — for catching
  16. can — a tin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. face — part of the head

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