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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — wild animals
  8. last — to go on
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — a series
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. craft — boats
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. rash — hasty

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