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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — an aim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chest — a box
  14. wake — a trail
  15. object — to protest
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. face — to point toward
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — of your body

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