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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — hurry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — a lid
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — belonging to me

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