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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. club — for golf
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. face — to confront
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — hurry
  8. current — electric
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. row — a line
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kick — in football
  18. current — happening now
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. current — of water
  23. date — the fruit
  24. club — for dancing

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