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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — a subject
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — for sport
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — finally
  18. cell — a phone
  19. field — farmland
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. last — final

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