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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bound — obliged
  4. net — for catching
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — in sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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