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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to confront
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. season — to add flavour

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