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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — help
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — there
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cold — an illness
  18. present — a gift
  19. board — to get on
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — the time now
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hand — part of the body

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