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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 124 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — to come down
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wind — moving air
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — a tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — a country
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. land — ground

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