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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pop — soda
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — for sculpting

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