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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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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rule — government
  13. cell — a phone
  14. face — to confront
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — a law
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — to rule out

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