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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — of the year
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. cue — a hint
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. date — the fruit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cue — a signal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — a stone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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