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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: ground · chest · face · mug · shower · plane · bay · mate

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — to confront
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — a face
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — a position
  18. mate — a partner
  19. plane — a tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ground — the earth

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