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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — a gift
  5. face — to confront
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. present — there
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rest — what's left

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