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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · pit · bank · wind · spell · net · face · court

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — a short time
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. face — to point toward
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. net — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. court — of law
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — letters
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pit — a hole
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — of a river

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