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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. face — to confront

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