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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: pound · suit · jam · face · file · court · fan · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. court — of a king
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. face — to confront
  5. pound — a weight
  6. suit — to fit
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. court — for sport
  12. file — a document
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — part of the head
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. suit — in cards

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