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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — farmland
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tube — a container
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — money
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — on the skin

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