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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.

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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chest — of your body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. file — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. file — a document
  11. face — to point toward
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — final
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — to push
  18. chest — a box

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