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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. field — farmland
  3. kid — child
  4. field — for sport
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fine — all right
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. plane — a tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. field — a subject
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — to eat with

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