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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 120 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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. drill — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — to confront
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. face — part of the head
  24. coach — a trainer

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