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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — final
  8. tear — to rip
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. plane — a tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pop — soda
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. plane — an aircraft

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