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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — a country
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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