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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — finally
  14. season — of the year
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — to point toward
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. plane — in geometry

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