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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chair · can · rush · game · face · ground · track

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — a match
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. track — a song
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. can — to be able to

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