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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 120 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: mine · sharp · scale · bank · chair · net · snap · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — for catching
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — after costs
  20. scale — in music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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