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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — in music
  9. fall — the season
  10. face — to point toward
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. snap — to click
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. net — in sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to confront
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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