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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. land — ground
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. firm — decided
  12. land — to come down
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — a match
  15. cell — a phone
  16. firm — a company
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. firm — steady
  24. dip — to sink

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