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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rash — a series
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pass — a permit
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chest — a box

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