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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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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: fork · face · track · tear · club · chair · mouse · snap

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. fork — in a road
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — from crying
  23. face — to point toward
  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