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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cap — a lid
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — in sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. plane — a tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. vault — a safe
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cap — a hat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — of the year
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a match

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