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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — in a road

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