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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — rain
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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