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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — humankind
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — a trace
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  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