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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fine — high quality
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — ground
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — a country

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