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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. key — in music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. drill — the tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — to wash
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — a tool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. arm — a part of something

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