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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — letters
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — a practice
  7. face — part of the head
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. drill — army training
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — music
  19. spell — magic
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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