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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rash — a series
  11. season — in sport
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a hole

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