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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — to confront
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — after costs
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — part of the head
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — for catching

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