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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — in music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — finally
  12. sharp — clever
  13. last — final
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — not warm
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. plane — a tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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