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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — help
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — a country
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. land — ground
  17. face — to confront
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — the season
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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