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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: net · lie · face · fan · field · stock · game · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — to confront
  15. net — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stock — shares
  19. game — a match
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rash — a series
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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