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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
468
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 · tube · racket · face · fan · mark · wound · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — after costs
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chest — a box
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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