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

Word bank: cell · key · face · rest · ground · plane · wind · mate

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rest — a break
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — in music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cell — a phone
  9. plane — a tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — to point toward
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — to confront
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — to turn a key

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