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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.

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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: face · club · net · pop · tear · calf · fine · date

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — a group
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — all right
  7. net — for catching
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. date — the fruit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tear — to rip
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — to visit

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