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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. plane — an aircraft
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to confront
  6. land — to come down
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lean — to bend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. rule — government
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. clip — a video
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pound — a weight
  21. land — a country
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lean — thin

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