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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — the earth
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — not warm
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — an illness
  7. object — to protest
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — hurry
  13. object — an aim
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — a position
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cold — the Cold War

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