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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. band — a music group
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rest — a break
  7. plane — a tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. charge — a price
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a ring
  24. plane — in geometry

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