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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — a position
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — of law
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. court — of a king
  23. dip — to sink
  24. leaves — of a tree

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