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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — a tool
  4. charge — a price
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. squash — the sport
  10. march — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. sharp — clever
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. charge — in control
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — the month
  21. land — ground
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. land — a country
  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