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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cold — not warm
  3. capital — money
  4. toast — bread
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ground — a position
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — a tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — the earth
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — a city
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. charge — electricity
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ground — crushed
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — exactly

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