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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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Word bank
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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: land · plane · march · face · ruler · game · cue · jam

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — ground
  3. cue — a signal
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — a tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cue — a hint
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. land — a country
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — for pool
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. land — to come down

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