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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. board — to get on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — a grade
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — to confront
  19. cold — not warm
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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