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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — a tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. squash — to crush
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. present — there
  8. face — to point toward
  9. present — a gift
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — hurry
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. squash — the sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spell — a short time
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bay — a horse colour

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