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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cap — a hat
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. deal — to handle
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — of ice
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. foot — a measure
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — a trail

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