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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — the amount
  10. lean — thin
  11. content — happy
  12. lean — to bend
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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