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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — the time now
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — low music
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — the fish
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — obliged
  23. court — of law
  24. face — to point toward

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