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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 124 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. rash — a series
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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