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

Word bank: toast · date · cell · firm · saw · net · kid · face

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kid — child
  8. toast — bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cell — a phone
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — a company
  14. net — after costs
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. firm — decided
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. firm — steady
  24. date — the fruit

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