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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kid — child
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — to confront
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — part of the head

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