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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: jam · date · face · ball · sharp · fan · fall · game

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — to point toward
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a match
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. face — to confront
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — the season
  21. date — the fruit
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. date — on the calendar
  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