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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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 point toward
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. staff — employees
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. row — a line
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. row — to paddle
  24. snap — to click

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