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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. capital — a city
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — money
  7. sharp — clever
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tear — to rip
  11. face — to confront
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — exactly

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