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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. present — there
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — the most important part
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. board — to get on
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — child
  19. ground — crushed
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — to tease

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