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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — child
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — finally
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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