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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chip — to eat
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ground — a position
  8. drill — the tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — army training
  11. march — music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — for betting
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. ground — the earth
  22. craft — boats
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — to go away

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