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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — hurry
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rest — a break

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