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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pit — in a race
  3. club — for golf
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a hole
  16. club — a group
  17. rule — a law
  18. tear — to rip
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. shower — rain
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ball — a great time

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