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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · fan · pitcher · row · face · rush · season · spell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spell — a short time
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — in football
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. spell — letters
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rush — a thrill

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