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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — a committee
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mate — a partner
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — in geometry

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