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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to point toward
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — farmland
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. face — to confront
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. game — a match
  16. field — for sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — wild animals

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