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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fork — in a road
  7. face — to confront
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — part of the head
  11. object — an aim
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. object — to protest
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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