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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. capital — money
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spring — the season
  14. rest — a break
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. capital — a city
  19. roll — a list
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. plane — a tool

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