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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — soda
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — for sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. court — of law
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. court — of a king

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