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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: present · net · face · snap · land · cue · lean · lash

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — for catching
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cue — for pool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — ground
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — in sport
  19. land — a country
  20. face — part of the head
  21. present — the time now
  22. lean — to bend
  23. snap — to click
  24. present — there

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