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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — electricity
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to click
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. staff — a stick
  24. leaves — to go away

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