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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. plane — a tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. court — of a king
  16. scale — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to point toward
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rule — a law
  21. clip — a video
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — for sport

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