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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. face — to confront
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. face — to point toward
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — part of the head
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. drill — a practice
  12. file — a document
  13. last — finally
  14. drill — the tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — army training

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