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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cell — in biology
  4. firm — steady
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. present — the time now
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. firm — decided
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — in geometry

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