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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · bay · cold · leaves · tear · plane · safe · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to confront
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. face — to point toward
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — a horse colour

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