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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. field — a subject
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. field — farmland

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