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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — final
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. last — finally
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fan — a supporter

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