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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — a phone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spring — the season
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cell — in a prison

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