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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fine — all right
  6. object — a thing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — to confront
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. object — an aim
  23. face — to point toward
  24. object — to protest

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