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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. present — the time now
  7. suit — to fit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cap — a hat
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — a gift
  13. cap — a lid
  14. present — there
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — in cards
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cold — an illness

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