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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — crushed
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rush — a thrill

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