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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a hat
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — there
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. present — the time now
  13. shower — to wash
  14. craft — boats
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — a gift
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a skill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. plane — a 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