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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mate — to breed
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — certain
  12. capital — a city
  13. land — a country
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mate — a friend
  19. capital — money
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a partner

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