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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: file · straw · plane · deal · face · racket · wound · cell

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. deal — to handle
  3. face — part of the head
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. file — a line of people
  17. face — to confront
  18. file — a document
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — a big deal

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