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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. present — the time now
  3. tube — a container
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. present — there
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. present — a gift
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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