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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. court — of a king
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. root — of a word
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — the cause
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — final
  20. court — for sport
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — of a plant

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