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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 · hide · wake · ground · roll · saw · squash · face

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. roll — a list
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — a trail
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — to confront
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. net — for catching
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the sport
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — in sport

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