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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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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. 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. object — an aim
  3. face — part of the head
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — a line
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — to recline
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. 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