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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pop — music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pop — to visit

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