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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. key — for a lock
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. face — to confront
  10. key — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. snap — to click
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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