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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — a path
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — a song
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. plane — a tool
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hand — in cards
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — lets stay

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