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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a document
  8. craft — a skill
  9. file — a tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. craft — boats
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mine — for digging
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a match

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