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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. season — of the year
  8. plane — a tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. cap — a lid
  11. season — in sport
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — the animal
  24. object — an aim

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