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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. fine — all right
  4. ground — the earth
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — part of the head
  9. race — humankind
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — of a king
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — to bend
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. court — of law

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