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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. club — a group
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. season — of the year
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — not warm
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. march — music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. field — farmland
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cold — an illness
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — a face

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