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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — a country
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fork — in a road
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — to come down
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to confront
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. face — part of the head

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