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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: pitcher · face · fan · sharp · prune · leaves · fine · racket

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — to point toward
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fine — high quality
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. sharp — clever
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. face — to confront

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