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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. face — to confront
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fine — all right
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. face — part of the head
  24. foot — the bottom

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