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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. plane — a tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ground — a position
  24. staff — employees

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