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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. track — to keep track
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — to go away

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