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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — to crush
  13. last — to go on
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — final
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — in a race
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spell — a short time

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