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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: face · arm · nail · net · pit · fall · wind · ruler

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — for catching
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fall — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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