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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — of ice
  5. swing — music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — after costs
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bound — certain
  15. plane — a tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — in sport
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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