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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ground — a position
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — to go on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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