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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.

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: face · lie · track · game · hide · file · season · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. game — wild animals
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — to recline
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — to point toward
  15. track — a path
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to confront
  19. track — a song
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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