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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — all right
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — part of the head

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