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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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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: fan · face · dip · club · mark · chest · safe · sharp

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chest — a box
  9. club — a group
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to confront
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. club — for dancing

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