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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — completely
  13. tube — a container
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bore — to tire
  17. plane — a tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to click
  23. face — to confront
  24. bore — to drill

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