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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. row — a line
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — to protest
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — a position
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rule — government
  18. mate — a friend
  19. band — a ring
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. mate — a partner
  23. row — to paddle
  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