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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. last — final
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — part of the head
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — finally
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mate — to breed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — a friend

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