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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. present — there
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a match
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — a gift
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. net — after costs
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — a coil
  20. face — to confront
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — for catching
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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