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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — final
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — of ice
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a ring
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — a series
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — finally
  24. cap — a lid

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