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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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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: kid · roll · rest · row · present · safe · face · fan

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to confront
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. roll — a list
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to point toward
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — a gift
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — a break
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. face — part of the head
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kid — child
  22. present — there
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — a supporter

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