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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. can — a tin
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. plane — a tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cold — an illness

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