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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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 — a tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — a safe
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. press — to push
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. press — newspapers

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