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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bound — certain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. can — to be able to
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. charge — in control
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — a price

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