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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cell — a phone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tear — to rip

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