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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. fan — a supporter
  3. suit — clothes
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wound — an injury
  21. suit — to fit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — a supporter
  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