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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. present — a gift
  4. face — part of the head
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — the season
  7. degree — from a university
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — to confront
  10. last — final
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. last — finally
  17. present — the time now
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. degree — temperature
  23. present — there
  24. spring — a coil

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