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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: fan · stock · lash · court · face · charge · game · snap

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. charge — a price
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — shares
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — of law
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — of a king
  15. charge — electricity
  16. court — for sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stock — goods
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to click

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