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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · net · key · file · land · face · wake · bay

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — ground
  3. key — in music
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a document
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a tool
  24. land — a country

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