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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. plane — a tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a city
  9. swing — in golf
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — in a race
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. firm — steady
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — money
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. firm — decided
  21. swing — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — child
  24. pit — a hole

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