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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — to paddle
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a line
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — a match
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to confront
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mark — a trace

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