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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to confront
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — the season
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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