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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. present — there
  3. row — a line
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — the month
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — music
  8. march — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. present — a gift
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — a tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — to get on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. present — the time now
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. plane — an aircraft

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