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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. drill — the tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. club — for dancing
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. drill — army training
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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