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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rash — a series
  3. cap — a hat
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to click
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pound — a weight
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cap — a lid
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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