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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. face — to confront
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bat — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. key — in music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. face — part of the head

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