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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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 — an aircraft
  3. file — a line of people
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. suit — clothes
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a document
  13. last — to go on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to confront
  17. suit — to fit
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. suit — in cards
  23. file — a tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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