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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cold — not warm
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — a straw man

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