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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fall — the season
  3. object — an aim
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. swing — in golf
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — the most important part
  14. object — to protest
  15. cap — a lid
  16. object — a thing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. swing — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. swing — to play on

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