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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — of ice
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. present — a gift
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pop — to visit
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. face — to confront

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