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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cap — a lid
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mate — to breed
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — to rob
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — ground
  23. mate — a partner
  24. plane — in geometry

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