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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. can — a tin
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — to be able to
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. swing — music

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