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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. swing — music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. date — the fruit
  9. face — to confront
  10. wax — to grow
  11. face — to point toward
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. roll — a list
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — in cards
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chest — of your body

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