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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. firm — a company
  10. plane — a tool
  11. land — ground
  12. firm — steady
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — final
  16. firm — decided
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. prune — to trim

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