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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — to confront
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. content — the amount
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kick — with a leg

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