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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. present — there
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. present — the time now
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — army training
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spring — of water
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. capital — a city
  18. chip — for betting
  19. present — a gift
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — money
  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