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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. roll — a cake
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a face
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. last — to go on
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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