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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. face — to confront
  2. present — there
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. plane — a tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — in sport
  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