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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — a gift
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — high quality
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fine — all right
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. present — there
  15. pound — a weight
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stock — goods
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. present — the time now

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