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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. ground — a position
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bat — for baseball

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