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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — steady
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. face — to confront
  8. fall — the season
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — soda
  11. wind — moving air
  12. plane — a tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. firm — decided
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — a company
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pop — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fan — a supporter

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