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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fall — the season
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — to be able to
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — a position

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