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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — all right
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — to confront
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — of water
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fall — the season
  23. can — to be able to
  24. plane — an aircraft

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