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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: face · rock · cue · fan · chest · dip · land · sharp

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — to come down
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — a box
  11. land — ground
  12. cue — a signal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rock — music

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