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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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468
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. object — an aim
  3. face — to point toward
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. club — for dancing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — part of the head
  10. club — a group
  11. face — to confront
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. object — a thing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. object — to protest
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fan — a supporter
  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