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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: mate · face · fan · toast · rash · lie · mouse · tear

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — hasty
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lie — to recline
  20. toast — bread
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  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