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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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 — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — a country
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ball — a dance
  17. land — to come down
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bore — to tire
  23. face — to confront
  24. ball — a round shape

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