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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 120 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 · kid · face · bore · fine · pit · scale · band

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. band — a music group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pit — in a race
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — in music
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — all right
  21. bore — to tire
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. band — a rubber band

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