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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. tear — to rip
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fine — all right
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — high quality
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — a coil
  22. face — to point toward
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rest — a break

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