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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — part of the head
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — magic
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spell — letters

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