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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 120 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: rule · fan · rash · face · plane · present · bat · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — government
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ball — a great time
  9. present — the time now
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. present — there
  24. fan — to cool the air

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