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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. plane — a tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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