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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: bound · fan · face · pitcher · drill · degree · leaves · suit

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. suit — in cards
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — part of the head
  8. degree — from a university
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — obliged
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bound — certain
  14. face — to confront
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — to fit
  19. face — to point toward
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. suit — clothes

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