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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. land — ground
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. clip — a video
  6. ground — crushed
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of a king
  11. lean — thin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — a country
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — for sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — to come down

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