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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. march — music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ground — the earth
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — rain
  10. suit — clothes
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — a city
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — money
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — the month

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