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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. root — the cause
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — a tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pop — to visit
  13. root — of a word
  14. kid — child
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — a series
  22. ground — crushed
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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