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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 116 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: wound · drill · fan · deal · kid · face · pit · hand

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — to point toward
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. kid — to tease
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — army training
  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