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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. swing — in golf
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. face — to point toward
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. fine — all right
  22. plane — a tool
  23. swing — music
  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