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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — part of the head
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a song
  11. land — ground
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — to come down
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fork — a garden tool

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