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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — a list
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kick — in football
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rest — a break
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rest — what's left

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