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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.

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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 · stem · shower · key · face · fine · pitch · spell

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — after costs
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — all right
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — part of the head
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. shower — rain
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. key — in music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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