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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. suit — clothes
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — a break
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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