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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — ground
  7. object — to protest
  8. net — in sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. land — to come down
  11. cold — an illness
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bore — to drill
  17. net — after costs
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. object — a thing
  21. net — for catching
  22. bore — to tire
  23. land — a country
  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