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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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. wax — for sculpting
  4. kick — in football
  5. track — a path
  6. rest — a break
  7. face — to point toward
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a song
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to confront
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rule — a law
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — government
  24. temple — side of the head

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