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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — a lid
  4. staff — a stick
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. club — a group
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to confront
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to click
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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