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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 124 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. toast — bread
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — to confront
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — a position
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wind — moving air
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ground — crushed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. plane — a tool

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