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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pop — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — all right
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — soda
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pop — to visit
  24. patient — a sick person

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