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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ground — a position
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — crushed
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cold — not warm

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