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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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 — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. face — part of the head
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — to go on
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fine — all right
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — final
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — high quality
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — from crying
  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