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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. season — of the year
  4. present — the time now
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kid — child
  10. present — there
  11. season — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — finally
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cell — in a prison

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