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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. face — part of the head
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. present — there
  14. face — to confront
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. dip — to sink
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tube — the underground
  23. plane — a tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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