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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to confront
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. squash — to crush

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