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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
468
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: fall · lash · face · foot · fan · field · last · court

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — the season
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. court — of law
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. last — final
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. last — finally
  12. face — to confront
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. last — to go on
  24. fall — to drop

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