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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 124 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. swing — music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. swing — in golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — to play on
  22. present — there
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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