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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. plane — a tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — final
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. last — finally
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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