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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — to confront
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. face — to point toward
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bore — to drill

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