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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. season — of the year
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. track — a song
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mate — a friend
  23. track — a path
  24. fall — the season

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