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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 · fine · present · game · capital · net · toast · fan

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — all right
  8. present — the time now
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. present — there
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. game — wild animals
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — in sport

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