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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. roll — a list
  9. spell — magic
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a trace
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of a car

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