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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 124 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to confront
  3. club — for golf
  4. rash — a series
  5. firm — steady
  6. tear — to rip
  7. club — a group
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — decided
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. firm — a company
  17. fine — all right
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. face — part of the head
  23. club — for dancing
  24. plane — in geometry

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