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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — hasty
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. root — of a word

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