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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to point toward
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lie — to recline

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