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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. mug — a cup
  9. clip — a video
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. plane — a tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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