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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: hide · foot · face · spring · firm · ground · net · roll

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — in sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. firm — a company
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ground — the earth
  9. roll — a list
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. roll — a cake
  12. face — to confront
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. face — to point toward
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. ground — a position

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