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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: fan · date · rule · wave · staff · face · kid · jam

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rule — a law
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — child
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rule — government
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fan — to cool the air

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