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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — a box
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to confront
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — after costs
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wound — an injury

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