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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 · mug · toast · mouse · cabinet · tear · ruler · face

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. face — to confront
  15. net — for catching
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. toast — the most admired

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