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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — of a king
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — government
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a path
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — for sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — a song

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