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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — army training
  12. cap — of ice
  13. net — after costs
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — a tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. net — in sport
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cap — a hat
  21. charge — a price
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — an explosive

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