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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — clever
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — a match
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — for digging

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