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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. fine — all right
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. plane — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — a stone
  12. clip — to cut
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — a video
  15. drill — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. file — a document
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. last — final
  22. fine — high quality
  23. drill — army training
  24. rock — music

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