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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: deal · net · hand · face · rash · fine · mark · spell

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spell — letters
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — after costs

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