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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ground — a position
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — to recline
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — the earth
  13. toast — bread
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. toast — the most admired

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