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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — to tease
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. bat — the animal

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