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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — a law
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. rule — government
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. band — a ring
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. face — to confront
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — for baseball

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