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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a hole
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. track — a path

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