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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — a break
  3. face — to confront
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. clip — for paper
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. club — a group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a face
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. face — part of the head
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — for golf
  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