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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. rock — music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. face — to point toward
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — to confront
  18. game — a match
  19. present — a gift
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — part of the head
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rule — government
  24. game — a kind of play

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