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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — child
  15. kick — in football
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ground — a position

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