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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. key — in music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rash — a series
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spring — of water
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. plane — an aircraft

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