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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — of a river
  7. rush — hurry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a match
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rush — to hurry

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