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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. object — a thing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. face — to point toward
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. chest — of your body
  11. firm — decided
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. object — to protest
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — a hat
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. object — an aim
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chest — a box

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