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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rule — government
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ball — a dance
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. cold — not warm
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rule — a law
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — of ice
  24. plane — in geometry

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