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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · mate · face · track · tear · leaves · fan · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — to confront
  9. mate — to breed
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. march — music
  15. track — a path
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to point toward
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  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