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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — clever
  3. plane — a tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — high quality
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lean — thin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fine — all right
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fine — a penalty

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