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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. face — to confront
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. game — a match
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pit — a hole
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — with your hand

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