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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. face — to point toward
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — part of the head
  24. dip — to sink

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