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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — a box
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. face — to confront
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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