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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rule — a law
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — thin
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — finally
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lean — to bend
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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