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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stand — to bear
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. capital — money
  9. fork — in a road
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. face — to confront

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