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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — in a road
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — an aim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. object — to protest
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lie — to recline
  14. object — a thing
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — to turn a key

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