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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — farmland
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. charge — electricity
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — child
  11. field — for sport
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. charge — in control
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — a tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. cap — a hat
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — of ice

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