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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bulb — for light
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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