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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 124 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pound — a weight
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — a tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — a coil
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — the season
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — of the year
  21. spring — of water
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — on your feet

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